A little Faith
by Snape's faith
Summary: A mixture of Snape and Black-it was too hard to decide!
1. An abrupt end

DISCLAIMER!!! These characters belong to the fabulous JK ROWLING and not me!(Though I wish!)However I have added my own characters to the story, these are-Faith, Lizzie, William, Hayden, Gemma, Lozzie. Hope you like them!  
  
AN ABRUPT END:  
  
A car door slammed, and startled Harry Potter out of his daydream. It  
  
was five weeks into the summer holidays, and Harry was sick of the Dursleys. Harry  
  
was having trouble sleeping as he kept having nightmares of Voldemort's return. He  
  
hated living with the Dursleys but appreciated the reasons why he had to.  
  
That night Harry was lying in bed with his eyes wide open wishing for  
  
daylight. He heard a loud crack and sat up, panic-stricken. There was movement  
  
outside his bedroom door, and he scrambled around in the dark looking for his wand.  
  
The door opened slowly and squeaked loudly. Harry sat, paralysed with fear. A  
  
shadow creped towards him, and Harry's fear mounted. The shadow placed a hand on  
  
his shoulder, and put a finger to its lips. Harry squinted but couldn't see without his  
  
glasses. He struggled against the shadow and opened his mouth, but the shadow spoke  
  
to him urgently, "No Harry, its me."  
  
Harry paused he recognised that voice.  
  
"Professor Lupin?" The shadow nodded.  
  
"Quickly pack your things and come downstairs." Harry nodded, and scurried around  
  
trying to locate everything. Lupin took Hedwig's cage downstairs, and Harry  
  
followed lugging his case behind him. When they had reached the bottom stair, Harry  
  
saw Nnymphadora Tonks, and grinned at her.  
  
"Wotcher, Harry! We're taking you to Headquarters but we have to get Hermione on  
  
the way." Harry nodded, and followed her outside.  
  
"I've left your Aunt and Uncle a note," whispered Lupin as they left," just telling  
  
them you'd see them next summer."  
  
"I keep telling you not to bother. They won't care anyway."  
  
Tonks smiled, and stuck her wand out. The knight bus appeared with a loud bang, and  
  
once again Harry was amazed that the muggles never heard it. They were greeted by  
  
the grinning face of Stan Shunpike," Harry Potter!" Lupin pushed the money into his  
  
hand and steered Harry into a seat.  
  
As the bus began to move, Harry looked at Lupin expectantly, but he  
  
shook his head, "not here Harry."  
  
The bus came to an abrupt halt and Tonks flew from her seat, making Harry laugh  
  
uncontrollably. As a grinning Lupin pulled her back into her seat, Hermione paid Stan  
  
and hugged Harry tightly. She didn't ask any questions but looked puzzled just the  
  
same. As they began to discuss the summer, the bus jolted again, and poor Tonks fell  
  
to the floor again. As she stood up, Harry and Hermione giggled, and Lupin ushered  
  
them off the bus. They all called goodbye to Stan and the bus flashed out of sight.  
  
Harry realised that he didn't have a clue where he was, and Tonks began  
  
to lead the way down an alleyway, and then another, and another. They walked for  
  
what seemed like an hour, until they finally came to rest outside a house. Lupin  
  
knocked on the door, and a pretty woman came to the door. She beckoned for them to  
  
enter, and they did so. When they were all safely seated in the living room with hot  
  
drinks Lupin introduced them.  
  
"Harry, Hermione, Tonks this is Gemma Hawes. We went to school with her twin  
  
sister, Lozzie, but Gemma's a muggle. We're transporting by port key to headquarters  
  
in case we were followed because there was less of the Order available to come and  
  
get you. They're all busy with other things."  
  
Gemma smiled, "Its nice to meet you both. I've heard a lot about you. Both good and  
  
bad." She laughed at the last part. Hermione frowned.  
  
Lupin elaborated, "She was suggested by Snape. She developed a friendship with him  
  
when we were at school. She was constantly sneaking into the castle to be with  
  
Lozzie. Lozzie was another big fan of the secret tunnels at Hogwarts. They were a  
  
couple of years below us though. Dumbledore agreed that this was the safest way so  
  
Snape got in contact with her, and we set this all up."  
  
"I was very surprised when Severus contacted me. We don't see much of each other,  
  
as you probably know he's not a big fan of the muggle world. I thought he was great  
  
when we were at school. I believe that he was just misunderstood as a child. Lozzie  
  
hates him though, and the feelings mutual. She had a huge crush on Sirius, although I  
  
think that he was the only one unaware of it. We kept getting into so much trouble for  
  
sneaking me into the castle. But I missed my sister, and she missed me. I also began  
  
to visit to see Severus, though I don't think he was as keen as me. He did seem to like  
  
me though, or I guess he wouldn't have suggested my house as a safe house." Harry  
  
thought that Gemma seemed very nice, and couldn't believe that Snape was friends  
  
with a muggle, and a friendly on at that! Tonks entered the room with an old clock in  
  
her hand. "Everyone ready?"  
  
They all nodded.  
  
"It was nice to meet you," said Gemma, "and it was nice to see you again Remus, tell  
  
Sirius and Severus that I said hello." Lupin nodded and gave her a brief hug before  
  
taking hold of the clock. The others did likewise, and as they waved to Gemma, the  
  
familiar tug pulled them away.  
  
Hope you like the story! Please review!!! It would make me feel so much better! Don't worry the rest of my story is soon to follow. This is simply a start-I have much to add, but I need to work out how to use the stupid computer properly first, so please be patient!!! 


	2. Pheonix Headquarters

Phoenix Headquarters.  
  
When they arrived at Headquarters, they were greeted by Mrs Weasley,  
  
who engulfed Harry and Hermione in a big hug. Ron and Ginny stood behind her  
  
grinning.  
  
"Mum?" came a voice before anyone could speak.  
  
"What?" called back Mrs Weasley. Charlie Weasley came walking down the stairs.  
  
Harry was surprised to see him.  
  
"Oh hi Harry, Hermione."  
  
"Hi," they answered. Mrs Weasley looked at him expectantly.  
  
"What.oh.um.I've kind of lost the cat again. Have you seen him?"  
  
Mrs Weasley sighed," That darn cat! He's been nothing but trouble! I suppose we'd  
  
better look for him, after all Dumbledore asked us to look after him."  
  
"I'm sure we can find him. Its just a cat," smiled Harry.  
  
"Oh no, this is a smart cat. He keeps disappearing, and we can never find him until he  
  
wants to be found. Which wouldn't be a problem if Dumbledore hadn't expressively  
  
said that we weren't to lose him under any circumstances," said Charlie grimly.  
  
"What's his name again?" asked Tonks.  
  
"Chaser," replied Ron. The adults started to look for him, and Hermione looked at the  
  
others curiously.  
  
"Don't ask," said Ginny," he just seems to want to cause as much trouble as possible."  
  
"He's really dumb though. Doesn't even turn up to be fed. We reckon that he's just  
  
Dumbledore's crazy cat," said Fred, as he and George apparated in front of Harry.  
  
Suddenly a black cat leapt out at Fred.  
  
"Aaaargh!" cried Fred, and the others jumped.  
  
"What's going on?" demanded Alaster Moody, as he and Sirius entered the house.  
  
Hearing his yell, the rest of the house appeared too.  
  
"The dumb cat just went psycho!" exclaimed Ron, as the cat continued to circle Fred,  
  
hissing and spitting. When Sirius tried to grab the cat, he went to bite him. Chaser  
  
leapt for Fred again, and Mrs Weasley and Ginny screamed. At that moment Snape  
  
and Professor Dumbledore walked in. Taking the whole scene in, Snape grabbed the  
  
cat who surprisingly, put up no resistance except for a slight hiss. Dumbledore greeted  
  
the scene with a smile.  
  
"Taking good care of him then?"  
  
"Is he safe?" gasped Tonks, looking alarmed.  
  
"Oh very. He probably just didn't like something."  
  
"Did you perhaps provoke him?" sneered Snape. Fred started to shake his head, and  
  
he added," In any way?"  
  
"No!" then, "well, I said he was dumb." Chaser hissed.  
  
"Perhaps the poor fellow didn't like that and struck out in the only way he thought  
  
possible. Though I'm not sure about his methods." Dumbledore seemed amused.  
  
Snape was shaking his head.  
  
"I think perhaps we need to discuss the next part of our arrangements. Yes?"  
  
Dumbledore looked at the cat, "come on lets talk to the Order." Snape dropped the  
  
cat, and the cat transformed into a boy of about Fred and George's age. He had long  
  
silvery hair, and cool, distinct eyes.  
  
"This way," said Dumbledore motioning for the boy to go into the dining room. The  
  
boy glared at Fred, then Snape, before leaving the room. The members of the Order  
  
looked baffled, but left the room too. Sirius looked at Harry and shrugged, offering  
  
him a smile. Harry smiled back. He was so glad that Sirius' name had been cleared in  
  
the Ministry because he didn't have to stay inside as much. He looked healthier for it,  
  
and Harry could now see him as the laughing young man at his parent's wedding. He  
  
still had to be careful though. Some people still weren't sure about him, and a  
  
Voldemort's supporters weren't happy.  
  
"Why don't you all go upstairs?" suggested Mrs Weasley, looking confused.  
  
Dumbledore smiled, "No doubt you will find out soon enough." With that he too left  
  
the room and closed the door behind him.  
  
Fred, George, Ron, Ginny, Harry and Hermione all looked at each other, and  
  
with a collective sigh, they all headed upstairs. 


	3. Chaser's tale

Chaser's tale.  
  
An hour later, there was a knock on the bedroom door, and Ron  
  
called for them to enter. The boy came into the room and looked at them hesitantly.  
  
"I just wanted to apologise for before. Well Dumbledore thinks I should anyway," he  
  
said glancing at Fred, looking rather sheepish. "It's just that I get so bored being stuck  
  
in here and all I want to do is get out and do something. You lot can and I guess I took  
  
my frustrations out on you. Sorry."  
  
"That's okay, I guess," said Fred, looking a little doubtful.  
  
"Hey, what was going on downstairs?" asked George eagerly.  
  
"Well.Dumbledore said that I can tell you, but it's not very interesting. They  
  
chucked me out before they started really discussing the Dark Lord and stuff."  
  
"Who are you?" asked Hermione. Harry thought that this was much less important,  
  
and from the looks of things so did the others, but he figured he'd better be nice if  
  
they were going to find out anything.  
  
"I'm Harry," he said holding out his hand. The boy looked at Harry, and nodded, "I  
  
know who all of you are. I'm Hayden Malfoy. I think you know my cousin, Draco."  
  
They all frowned at this. Hayden laughed,  
  
"Don't worry, I'm not a big Draco fan. Or Malfoy fan, come to think of it. I'm in  
  
hiding so that they can't find me. You see I'm not like them. I care about my life, but  
  
don't want to have to kill to lead an exciting and wealthy life. I never really had to  
  
decide whether I supported the Dark Lord, I was always just left to my own devices,  
  
but pretty soon it was going to get to the stage where I was asked to join him. Well I  
  
knew that I couldn't say yes, but on the other hand I couldn't say no either. I don't  
  
really want to die. I've spent a long period of time living with my best friend as a cat,  
  
and as nobody but her knew that I'm an animagus I was too difficult to track down.  
  
Even her parents didn't know, which is good as they'd probably have handed me  
  
straight over to my family, or just plain kill me on the spot. Her mother says she loves  
  
her daughter, but nothing is more important than the Dark Lord. Eventually though,  
  
we got really desperate, and she managed to contact Dumbledore, she told him, while  
  
begging him to understand that I needed protection. I don't think he was very happy at  
  
first but he isn't the kind of man who'll turn down a plea for help. Well, of course  
  
Dumbledore wanted to know as much as possible about the Dark Lord's plans, and  
  
what I knew of the Death Eaters. You'd be surprised at how reckless they can be at  
  
times; they never even noticed that a cat was constantly following them around! My  
  
dad didn't even think about it because we don't own a cat! They have big plans and  
  
they truly believe that they're going to overthrow the wizarding world, and I actually  
  
think that they could succeed." Hayden took a breath, and they all stared at him in  
  
amazement.  
  
"It must be awful being related to Death Eaters," said Hermione, in a state of shock.  
  
Hayden shook his head," That's all I ever knew. It was my friend that convinced me  
  
that it was all wrong, or I probably would have joined. She is a Death Eater you see.  
  
She was trying to protect me, but if he finds out she'll be dead for sure, which is why  
  
I'm in hiding. To protect her as much as me. She's never had anything to do with the  
  
whole set-up as she's the same age as us, and so was only a baby when he fell. But  
  
she's been raised by Death Eaters and she was marked as a Death Eater as a baby.  
  
Cruel if you ask me, we're normally allowed to make up our own minds, but for some  
  
reason it was important to the Dark Lord that she was marked immediately, and her  
  
parents allowed it! Obviously idiots, but well, look at my family. She still follows him  
  
though and in many ways she truly is a Death Eater, she was hardly ever at school but  
  
she knows so much about the Dark Arts that it's unbelievable. She knows stuff that  
  
nobody'd dare to teach in a school. That's about all I know to be honest, though I  
  
reckon there's a lot more to it than that."  
  
"What about these plans?" asked Ron. Again Hayden shook his head," Definitely  
  
can't discuss that. It's really between Dumbledore and the Order."  
  
"How come you don't go to Hogwarts?" asked Ginny.  
  
"We went to a school in Holland called Sidilo. It's a tiny place, but just like Harry at  
  
Hogwarts, she was very well known over there. She was the most famous person in  
  
school because she knew more about the Dark Arts than many adult wizards that work  
  
in the Ministry! I didn't always hang around with her. We were very close, me her  
  
and William. But we had separate lives. We were all born into Death Eater's families  
  
but the rest of the school were fairly similar to Hogwarts in the sense that nobody had  
  
really made a definite decision to join the Dark Lord if he returned. Most are terrified  
  
of him and support Dumbledore. Will's parents died through their support of the Dark  
  
Lord just after he was born so he now lives with his Grandparents. They don't support  
  
the Dark Lord, so he's been brought up as against dark magic, but his grandparents  
  
think that they shouldn't get involved. This caused problems for us as good friends.  
  
Two of us were of strong Death Eater blood, and so he was banned from seeing us.  
  
My best friends parents were unsure about me and disliked Will, so we had quite  
  
adventurous times trying to spend time together, we became great at hiding, lying and  
  
sneaking about."  
  
"But if she's a Death Eater won't Lord Voldemort." Harry ignored the  
  
flinches,"know that she's disobeyed him?"  
  
Hayden nodded," If it was anyone else it would be a problem, but the one thing that  
  
her real dad taught her from a very young age was how to do Occlumency. She's in  
  
the process of teaching me, but I'm not really any good at it."  
  
"Her real dad?" asked George.  
  
"Her parents aren't together. Her mother married some one else. Her dad doesn't see  
  
much of her, but he's taught her a bit of magic, and visits her a couple of times a year.  
  
He's not a very good dad but he's taught her a bit about protecting herself, which is  
  
better than her step-dad who hates her and is forever cursing her and hurting her"  
  
"Wow," offered Fred.  
  
Hayden shrugged, "It sounds worse when you're explaining it to someone else."  
  
"Why didn't she just move out with her dad?" asked Ron.  
  
"Couldn't. He didn't want her, and they fight constantly. Like I said he's a rubbish  
  
dad. Her mother, at least, knows how to look after her, and has always given her  
  
everything she needed. Well, sort of."  
  
"How will she react now that you're gone?" asked Harry. Hayden shrugged.  
  
"I doubt she'll be that bothered, like I said we had quite separate lives."  
  
"But now that Voldemort's back, won't she be in danger. I mean, she's done so much,  
  
why didn't Dumbledore take her in too?" the Weasleys glared at Hermione, and she  
  
shrugged, "we have to start using his name!"  
  
"Because it would have looked fishy. I have a choice. Become a Deatheater or run.  
  
She already is a Deatheater. She would have been killed. It's much easier if we do it a  
  
little at a time. Anyway, Sidilo chucked the three of us out because we got into so  
  
much trouble. Their not like Hogwarts, the faintest whiff of trouble and you're out.  
  
They associate trouble with Death Eater types. Saying that we did get into a lot of  
  
trouble. It was mostly me and her though; poor Will just got chucked out for being  
  
there. Her mother wasn't bothered-means more time can be spent on the Dark Lord,  
  
and it costs her less. She was always expected to be chucked out anyway. Her and  
  
Will were often caught creeping around. I could always transform, and was constantly  
  
able to escape trouble. Will's grandparents were dead upset, but they decided that the  
  
school wasn't good enough if they were so closed-minded, and they've enrolled him  
  
at Hogwarts. So I'm going to go as well, so that I'm near to Dumbledore, and at least  
  
I've got Will close by. His grandparents don't know that though! If anyone asks I'm  
  
just a new Hogwarts cat, but Dumbledore's trying to get me a room so that I can study  
  
and not fall behind. I still have to pass my exams!"  
  
"That's a weird story," said Ron. Harry couldn't help but think that him transforming  
  
to escape trouble, and leaving his friends, was quite self-centred. He didn't voice this  
  
opinion in front of Hayden, but Hermione did mention it later, and the others agreed.  
  
"Its even weirder to be living it. It also feels kind of good to have been able to get it  
  
all off my chest without having the entire Order glaring at me like I'm going to  
  
double-cross them!" he replied. Harry and Hermione exchanged looks. If the Order  
  
were worried should they be?  
  
"Kids!" called Mrs Weasley. The sound of her voice brought them all back to reality,  
  
and they headed downstairs.  
  
Over the next week they spent their time, discussing the extraordinary tale  
  
between them, although none of them spoke to Hayden of it. He seemed to get on  
  
quite badly with some of the Order, probably due to his upbringing. He and Moody  
  
disagreed at every opportunity, and he was always at odds with Sirius and Mrs  
  
Weasley, and Fred had developed a clear dislike for him. This seemed a little odd, as  
  
George seemed to find him all right, despite the fact that he cared mainly for himself,  
  
and thought little about how others were affected by his actions. Hayden was often  
  
moody, bad tempered and self-centred. Lupin said that he was probably just  
  
frightened.  
  
"After all, how would you feel if you had suddenly turned your back on your family,  
  
friends and the most powerful dark wizard, and knew that you could be murdered at  
  
any moment?" 


	4. Home Again

Home again.  
  
The day came to return to Hogwarts, and Mr and Mrs Weasley, Sirius, Lupin and  
  
Moody all accompanied Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny to the train station. They  
  
attracted quite a lot of stares. Two owls, a big ginger cat, four cases between them,  
  
and they looked a right bunch. They headed straight for the platform, and the  
  
goodbyes started. Mrs Weasley hugged them all and told them to behave and stay out  
  
of trouble. Sirius took Harry aside, and told him to be extra vigilant, and do whatever  
  
Dumbledore said.  
  
"As if I wouldn't!"  
  
When they were all on the train, they waved to the others on the platform. Ron and  
  
Hermione wandered up to the prefect's compartment, and Harry and Ginny bumped  
  
into Neville and Luna. They wandered into the end carriage to find a boy of about  
  
their age sitting with an owl. He smiled when he saw them.  
  
"Eh.mind if we sit here?" asked Harry. He shook his head, and they all piled in.  
  
"I'm William Robinson," said the boy holding out his hand. Harry and Ginny  
  
exchanged looks but didn't dare say anything.  
  
"Harry. And this is Ginny, Neville and Luna."  
  
William nodded. "I'm just starting today. I've just changed schools, so I'm quite  
  
nervous." He had dark hair, soft, friendly brown eyes, and a pleasant face. Ginny  
  
thought he looked quite handsome, and from the look of it so did Luna, who was  
  
paying attention to the conversation. Quite a rare event.  
  
"Do you have to go through he Sorting?" asked Neville, looking horrified at the  
  
thought.  
  
"Only in front of Dumbledore and McGonagall. Not like the first years."  
  
"What year you in?" asked Ginny.  
  
"Sixth. Just turned seventeen. I hope I'm in a good house," William sighed, and  
  
looked out of the window. They chatted idly through the train journey, and Neville  
  
got more nervous as they got closer to the school. They pulled their robes over their  
  
clothes and when the train stopped, they met Ron and Hermione. William looked a  
  
little lost so Ginny told him to stick with them, for which he seemed very grateful.  
  
When they got inside the grounds, Professor McGonagall directed William to  
  
Dumbledore's office. Harry was glad to see Hagrid with the First years. They made  
  
their way into the Hall, and chatted with their friends for a bit. Then Dumbledore  
  
appeared and it quietened down. William walked over and joined the Griffindor table,  
  
and Hermione congratulated him, as the Sorting began. Harry noticed that there was  
  
no Defence against the Dark Arts teacher, and Snape was missing too.  
  
When the meal commenced, poor William was bombarded with questions, and he  
  
answered most, though he changed the subject when it got to the part about leaving Sidilo. That night everyone, including Harry fell asleep almost immediately. 


	5. Faith

Faith.  
  
The following morning was hectic. The timetables were all wrong, and  
  
muddled up. The poor first years didn't know what had hit them. Everyone ended up  
  
in the wrong places for their first lesson of the year, and some were directed to non-  
  
existent rooms. By the time all of the students were rounded up, everyone was  
  
confused. Dumbledore gathered everyone into the Hall, and set up some board games,  
  
and things to keep them occupied. About an hour later, Dumbledore returned with the  
  
rest of the teachers. Again no Snape or DADA teacher. Harry and the others  
  
exchanged looks.  
  
"Okay, the timetables have been rearranged, and your lessons will commence this  
  
afternoon. You can have the rest of the morning off," said Dumbledore, and he was  
  
greeted by loud cheers.  
  
Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny and William went outside and were  
  
discussing why the timetables could have gone wrong. A black cat strolled over to  
  
them.  
  
Chaser climbed over their legs and curled up beside William. He smiled, and then  
  
glanced at the others.  
  
"You do know don't you?"  
  
Harry nodded, "Yea, he told us."  
  
William nodded, " missed you as well you know. Bet you didn't miss me though. You  
  
rarely do. Stronger than me, aren't you? I feel awful leaving her alone. I mean you  
  
didn't have a choice, but me.well."  
  
The cat mewed and rubbed up against him.  
  
"From what we heard it didn't sound like you had a choice either, and well, she  
  
sounded like she could take care of herself," offered Hermione kindly.  
  
As they were all sitting, Harry noticed two figures walking towards  
  
them. One of them was carrying a bag, and the taller, more familiar one was carrying  
  
a large case. As the figures got closer he realised that the taller one was Snape. The  
  
other one was a girl of about their age. She had long, sleek black hair, with pink tips;  
  
she had cruel, black eyes that seemed to stare straight through everything. She didn't  
  
look very happy, but she was still pretty, and gave off an aura knowing that she had a  
  
certain amount of control over the situation. She ignored Snape, but kept up with him,  
  
seeming to know whenever he was going to change direction. Snape looked like he  
  
was in an extremely bad mood, and he glared at Harry when he passed. The girl  
  
glanced at them, but didn't seem to see them. Snape indicated for her to enter the  
  
castle but she refused and he had to enter first. She did it with the air of someone who  
  
had experienced what could happen if you exposed your back to a deadly enemy.  
  
When they had disappeared, Harry looked at the others. They were all watching  
  
with interest. William's mouth was hanging open. Ginny nudged him playfully. He  
  
turned to her and smiled sheepishly.  
  
After lunch, they all received their new timetables, and to Harry's delight he  
  
found that they had DADA. Unfortunately they had it with the Slytherins. Everyone  
  
was buzzing with excitement, desperate to know the identity of the new DADA  
  
teacher. As they entered the room, they were greeted by Lupin.  
  
Hermione actually shrieked in delight, and for once Ron was too happy to say  
  
anything to her.  
  
After everyone had settled down, Lupin explained that he was filling in until  
  
Dumbledore managed to find a more permanent teacher. Everyone laughed at that.  
  
They were just getting down to DADA when there was a loud knock on the door,  
  
everyone turned to look. Snape entered with the girl from earlier. Lupin looked  
  
slightly confused.  
  
"Hello, can I help you?"  
  
"This is the newest member of Slytherin. I trust I can leave her in your care?" he  
  
sneered at Lupin. The girl stared straight ahead, which just happened to be where  
  
Neville was sitting, and he shifted uncomfortably.  
  
"I think that we can help her to settle in," smiled Lupin, "what's your name?"  
  
The girl continued to stare straight ahead, and Lupin glanced at Snape.  
  
Snape shrugged, and told them." Faith."  
  
Then, "Lupin, see me after class about that potion. Faith, sit down. Mr Malfoy will be  
  
happy to show you the ropes, I'm sure." Draco Malfoy smiled, and nodded, motioning  
  
for Crabbe to leave the seat next to him, so that she could sit down. Snape swept out  
  
of the room. The girl shifted her gaze, only when he had left the room. She sat next to  
  
Draco, and flashed him an alluring smile.  
  
"Well," said Lupin, clearly off put by her arrival.  
  
"Why don't we continue with our discussion? Where were we?"  
  
"The basis for a true patronis," said Hermione.  
  
"Yes, well I know some of you are already experienced but I want to go over this  
  
anyway. It's important to review everything you have ever learned in order to keep  
  
you safe. How many of you can do an advanced Patronas?"  
  
Harry, Hermione, William, Draco and Faith raised their hands. Lupin nodded.  
  
After several questions about hexes, curses and other defences against dark arts,  
  
Lupin decided to change tacts. Faith had sat there all lesson, a faint smile on her lips  
  
as though listening to someone in the distance. Her fixed gaze led directly to Lupin,  
  
but she didn't even seem to register that he was there.  
  
"Faith?" Lupin was starting to look concerned, "what did you do in your last school in  
  
way of the DADA? I know that William did next to nothing at Sidilo. Where did you  
  
go?"  
  
The girl continued to stare at Lupin. Everyone looked at Faith.  
  
"Hello?" asked Hermione.  
  
Still no response.  
  
"So you won't have done much either, then? I know some schools don't like to teach  
  
Dark Arts at all," asked Lupin, desperately trying to get a response from her. She  
  
continued to stare. As Lupin sighed, and gave up, he turned to look at William. But,  
  
before he could open his mouth to speak, Faith spoke in a chilly, unnaturally quiet  
  
tone.  
  
"I know more about the Dark Arts than most of the Ministry of magic." Everyone  
  
stared at her.  
  
"I don't need to be here. I've surpassed these studies, and I'm only here because I  
  
don't have a choice. My old school was afraid of the Dark arts, which is why they  
  
kicked me out. I don't intend to be staying long, so it may be best if you only speak to  
  
me when I wish you to." There was a stunned silence, as everyone turned to look at  
  
Lupin.  
  
To their surprise he smiled at her," For a moment I wasn't sure, but now I can see that  
  
you truly are your father's daughter. You are so very like him." The girl glared at him,  
  
"Thank you for making my world complete. I think I will just go and ask Lord  
  
Voldemort to perform the Avada Kedavra curse on me now." Most people in the  
  
room flinched, and shock registered on all of their features. She smiled slightly; this  
  
had obviously had the desired effect. Even Lupin looked surprised. The bell rang, and  
  
she strode out of the room with an air of importance, leaving the rest of the class  
  
gawping after her. The only person that never stirred, and didn't seem to register this  
  
as unusual was William. He gathered his books and left the room, but nobody noticed  
  
this in their confusion. As she left the room Severus Snape's daughter smiled to  
  
herself, and felt good because she had already begun to show a little of her attitudes  
  
and self-control to her temporary new playmates. She laughed at this, as she headed  
  
down the corridor, not seeming to notice the stares she was getting. Faith Alixandria  
  
Snape had started off the year with a big bang. 


	6. The daughter of the Death Eaters

The daughter of the Death Eaters.  
  
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were sitting in the Griffindor common  
  
room discussing their eventful DADA lesson from the previous day. They didn't  
  
understand Lupin's comment about Faith being her 'father's daughter', and were  
  
amazed at her audacity and insolence.  
  
"Well, obviously she must be the daughter of someone he knows," said Hermione.  
  
"Yea, but who? Who do we know that would allow their child to be so bold and  
  
disrespectful?" asked Harry.  
  
"I dunno, but we're going to be late for breakfast," said Ginny, standing up.  
  
"I wonder what Will's doing," said Ron, as the rest of them stood, and headed for the  
  
Hall. When they got there, Faith was sitting with Malfoy, and his friends, and they  
  
were talking to her, but she appeared to be listening to a distant sound.  
  
Pansy Parkinson could be heard telling someone that the girl had her own private  
  
room, and that she was a stuck-up tart that was only interested in talking to the male  
  
members of Slytherin.  
  
Faith must have heard because she slowly turned and stood, facing Pansy. Her wand  
  
was in her hand, and she advanced on her slowly. Pansy let out a terrified squeak, and  
  
Faith smiled cruelly.  
  
"I do not want to only talk to the male Slytherins, I just want to talk to someone who  
  
has some level of intelligence. This tends to be more of the males, and the Slytherins  
  
seem to have a greater understanding of life than others. You are nothing more than a  
  
snivelling baby!" Faith raised her wand and opened her mouth. But before she could  
  
curse Pansy into oblivion, as Harry was certain she would, McGonagell appeared.  
  
"Miss Snape! What in the world are you doing? I think you need to remember where  
  
you are! Just because you're mother encouraged you to curse people does not mean  
  
that you can do it in this school! It is forbidden. You will get into a lot of trouble if  
  
you do not follow our rules." She was furious, and the other students would have been  
  
terrified if they hadn't have been in shock that Faith's surname was Snape. Even  
  
Malfoy looked shocked.  
  
Faith however did not stir. She did not seem even slightly affected by this outburst,  
  
and she stared McGonagall.  
  
"Miss Snape?" she asked, looking at her," do you have anything to say for yourself?"  
  
Faith didn't speak.  
  
McGonagall shook her head," Perhaps you will talk to your father then." She sent  
  
Crabbe to get Snape. Snape appeared moments later. He looked calm, and  
  
unconcerned, but his eyes betrayed him. They reflected his fury, and it was aimed at  
  
Faith.  
  
"What is going on?" he asked.  
  
Faith turned her gaze to him, and McGonagall looked relieved.  
  
"Don't look at me like that. It doesn't work," said Snape firmly.  
  
Faith smiled sinisterly, "No. But it worked for my mum all through school though  
  
didn't it?"  
  
Snape glared at his daughter," My office now." He spoke calmly, but this time his  
  
voice was trembling slightly from anger. Faith's smile increased and she shrugged,  
  
"Whatever you say. Severus." She pronounced his name clearly, and deliberately, and  
  
her cruel eyes appeared to be laughing at him. With that she left the Hall, and Snape  
  
swept out behind her.  
  
Harry and the others looked at each other in astonishment.  
  
In Snape's office, Faith spun to face her father.  
  
"How dare you. You have upset two of my colleagues already. While Lupin is no  
  
great loss, we need to keep McGonagall on side. I am trying to protect you, and all I  
  
get in return is disrespect," he snarled at her.  
  
"So now parents try to help their children for a reward?" she asked in her cool, distant  
  
voice, "besides, whose fault is it that I need protecting? I mean I know my mother was  
  
partly to blame at the beginning, but you.well where should I start? You allowed a  
  
baby to be branded by the most evil, and corrupt wizard of all times. You left that  
  
baby with a woman that was incapable of caring for her, and a man that is a self-  
  
obsessed maniac and longs for blood shed. And then, to add insult to injury, you  
  
turned from Lord Voldemort, which placed your daughter in danger by association!  
  
So tell me again, why should I show you some respect?"  
  
"Don't say his name," hissed Snape.  
  
"What idiot turns his back on the ultimate power when he cannot even voice the name  
  
of a wizard? You aren't brave enough to beat Him, and you aren't good enough to be  
  
respected," snarled Faith, losing her cool, distant tones, and adopting a fiercer, Snape-  
  
like tone.  
  
"I don't want to hear of any more incidents, because it will be your fault if you are  
  
thrown from Hogwarts. Do you think that he will take you back? You're as good as  
  
dead to him. And as for the Dark Lord, well, you can follow him as you please, but I  
  
will not be blamed for any consequences. Get out." Snape's voice was low and  
  
threatening.  
  
"I don't know what she ever saw in you," said Faith, her cool tone back. Then she  
  
spun and swept out of the room.  
  
Snape sighed, and sank into his seat.  
  
He stared at the beautiful child in her arms. An agreement had been reached. A  
  
fair one, but he was unsure of one of the terms. Should a baby be branded as a  
  
member of the most deadly wizard's followers? He didn't think so, but he tried to tell  
  
himself that he didn't care, he hadn't until he'd seen her there, peaceful and sweet.  
  
"Well?" asked Lizzie, impatiently," are we agreed? I'll keep her and give her a  
  
middle name, if you leave and let me get on with my life? You can give her a first  
  
name." This was said as if it was a treat, but what did he know about baby names?  
  
"Severus? Look I have to know so that I can tell the Dark Lord her name. You're  
  
messing my life up, and you need to know what you want before you can give me what  
  
I want. You can leave, no strings attached, I swear. And in return, if you ever change  
  
your mind about us, or the baby, then you can come back. That simple. You win,  
  
either way."  
  
She said it as if it was so simple, but to him it wasn't. He was having doubts about the  
  
Dark Lord, as well as what he wanted from her. He was sure that she knew this, he  
  
was also sure that she firmly believed that he would return. He wished he was so sure.  
  
He nodded slowly, "Can I come back later with the name?" After all he didn't want  
  
to upset the Dark Lord by not giving his daughter a name. Elizabeth Herlaiday  
  
nodded, and with a slight nod of his head, Severus Snape disapparated with a loud  
  
pop.  
  
With a loud pop he reappeared in someone's living room. A beautiful muggle  
  
girl walked in and nearly fainted in shock. She recovered herself, and smiled at him.  
  
"I'm still not used to this magic lark," she laughed, nervously.  
  
She was afraid, and it showed. She was unsure of his intentions. That mudblood of a  
  
sister of hers had obviously been making her mouth go. To her credit, Gemma  
  
motioned for him to sit down. He refused.  
  
"You don't trust me," he said softly. It was a statement rather than a question. She  
  
sighed," Severus, you said yourself that you don't know which side you're on."  
  
He nodded.  
  
"I have a daughter."  
  
"Congratulations," her tone was distant as it always was when Lizzie was mentioned.  
  
"I've agreed to the conditions, only I need a name by the end of today."  
  
She thought he had come to gloat, he could see. She was so easy to read, so  
  
vulnerable, he wanted to hold her, but fought the impulse. His mind wandered back to  
  
Lizzie, and he felt vaguely confused.  
  
"I want your help," he explained.  
  
"To name her?" she clarified. He nodded.  
  
"Maybe something that you will always relate to, so that she'll always seem part of  
  
you."  
  
He frowned, uncomprehending.  
  
"Something you like. A flower, or something that means something beautiful.  
  
Something that will remind you of both yourself and her, when you hear it."  
  
He shook his head, it hurt. He didn't want to be a father; he was barely managing to  
  
take care of himself. She understood. She held him close, she thought hard, then,  
  
"How about Faith?"  
  
He didn't reply, just held her tighter.  
  
"Because that's what you need. A little Faith. Every time you need something to help  
  
you then you can look at her, and it'll help you believe. That little girl is gonna need  
  
Faith and you need it right now. What do you think?" He looked at her then. He  
  
nodded, slowly.  
  
"Thank you. I have to go."  
  
"Severus?" she kept hold of him," what are you going to do? Go back to her and  
  
Him?"  
  
He shook his head, "I don't know." But he wouldn't look her in the eye. As he  
  
disapparated, Gemma prayed that Severus would hold fast to Faith and see truth.  
  
"Faith."  
  
Lizzie looked at him in surprise.  
  
"That's her name. Faith. And I agree to the conditions. You were right. I need to get  
  
away and sort myself out."  
  
He cut his hand and held it out to her. She cut her own, and they shook hands. They  
  
had bound themselves to the contract; they could no longer go back on the agreement.  
  
A blood contract was rarely, if ever, broken. And with that he was gone.  
  
Lizzie smiled; she knew that he'd be back before long. Severus never strayed too far.  
  
He was bound to her, even more so that they had a child. She looked at her child,  
  
Faith Alixandria Snape, and smiled. This child was going to solve everything.  
  
Snape was walking and didn't even realise where he was going until he got  
  
there. He walked into the large room. A decision had been made, and although he was  
  
still unsure about his life path, he knew where he had to start.  
  
The great man looked at him. He had power beyond most, and Severus knew that he  
  
had finally seen his truth.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore, I'd like to take you up on your offer. I would like to become  
  
a teacher, here at Hogwarts."  
  
"Okay," smiled the great Albus Dumbledore, and he welcomed Severus to his new  
  
home. Severus had made a decision and for now at least, he knew that it was the right  
  
one. Dumbledore was a man that could be trusted, and he was about to trust entirely  
  
in Severus. Something that both alarmed and warmed Severus. 


	7. The jigsaw pieces fit together

The Jigsaw pieces fit together.  
  
It was late that night, and Harry was lying awake listening to Seamus snore. He  
  
knew that Ron was also awake. He heard a shuffle outside of the door, and he moved  
  
silently towards the door. He peered out of the creek, and saw William tiptoeing down  
  
the stairs. He grabbed his cloak, and motioned for Ron to follow. As they sneaked  
  
downstairs, they bumped into someone. It was Hermione.  
  
"What are you doing?" she asked.  
  
"Following Will. What are you doing?" retorted Ron.  
  
"Getting a drink. Where's he going?"  
  
"Well, we don't know, that's why we're following him," said Harry, exasperated. She  
  
put down the drink, and slipped under the cloak. When they were outside, they looked  
  
around for Will, but they couldn't see him.  
  
"Looks like we lost him." started Ron.  
  
"No look!" said Harry, and they saw him scurrying towards the Forbidden forest.  
  
They looked at each other.  
  
"Come on," said Harry.  
  
"What if he sees Grawp?" panted Hermione, as they ran.  
  
"Well, we're going to find out aren't we," said Harry, firmly. Ron whimpered  
  
slightly. They slowed as they reached the forest, and walked carefully, as they tried to  
  
spot William. Hermione directed their heads towards a slight clearing, and they  
  
moved forward. As they grew nearer, they heard his voice.  
  
"I can't believe that we're doing this again."  
  
"Quit whining!" snapped Hayden's voice," you didn't have to come."  
  
"Well, I'm not going to have any other opportunity to find out what's going on, am I?  
  
Nobody bothers to tell me anything."  
  
"It isn't always safe to tell you anything," muttered Hayden.  
  
"It sometimes isn't safe to tell anyone anything. Yes, you too Chaser," came a cool,  
  
distinctive female voice. Harry looked at the others. That was Faith's voice. They  
  
moved closer to get a better view. Faith was lying against Hayden's chest, and  
  
Hayden and William were leaning against some of the trees that Grawp had not pulled  
  
up.  
  
"Anyway," said Hayden, hastily trying to move the conversation along," what's  
  
happening out there?"  
  
"Well, everything was going to plan. Your parents were still going mental, but  
  
nobody's even considered that you could have turned sides completely. They all think  
  
that you're too much of a coward, and that you'll return eventually. To be killed of  
  
course," said Faith.  
  
"Of course," muttered Hayden.  
  
Faith sighed, "It was exactly like I imagined. Your family searching for you, but not  
  
really caring about you. They're all much more occupied by Voldemort's demands.  
  
He's started plotting you see. Well, Jak started to take the prevention by Dumbledore  
  
out on me. You know what he's like. It's as if everything is my fault. It didn't bother  
  
me of course, no matter how hard he hits, my strength and control increases. He  
  
hasn't realised yet, that my abilities are all down to him. If my mother had never had  
  
married him, do you think that I would be this strong?"  
  
Will shrugged, "But why are you here?"  
  
"I'm getting there!"  
  
"Well, you know how they used a muggle to transport Potter and the others to  
  
Headquarters?" Will shook his head, while Hayden nodded.  
  
"Well, they did," she said impatiently, "and from what I can gather, she had a crush  
  
on my dad when they were kids. Well apparently it was her who suggested that my  
  
dad called me Faith, and it looks like my dad had some sort of relationship with her,  
  
'cos after he had talked to her, he turned up at my mum's place. Jak went mental  
  
because he's still afraid that my mum'll go back to my dad. Which she would if he  
  
said the word. My mum and dad argued for a while, when Jak'd been knocked out,  
  
and she didn't want him to take me. Apparently he wanted me to go back to school.  
  
Said he wanted me to learn as much as possible, but I reckon he thought I was safer in  
  
school than out."  
  
"See he does care," said William.  
  
Faith laughed humourlessly, "Nah. He just doesn't want Voldemort to find out that  
  
he's betrayed him. The more time I spend with my mum, the closer I'll probably get,  
  
and therefore the chances of me letting it slip that he's turned from the dark side are  
  
increased. I personally don't reckon that I would let it slip."  
  
"Nah. You're too clever for that," agreed Hayden.  
  
"Maybe, but he pointed out that me and him were already playing with fire because of  
  
you and had already betrayed Voldemort in some way. My mum, however, is  
  
oblivious to all of this. She knows that we've both had doubts, but she truly believes  
  
that we will always follow Him. She's so innocent in some ways. She still believes  
  
that my dad'll take her back some day. I'm not sure about that though. Anyway, if I  
  
stay with her and we're found out, then I've just killed my mum. He said it to scare  
  
me, and it worked. My mum isn't wonderful, but I love her. My dad mentioned an  
  
agreement to her. I think that there was a deal when I was born, concerning our lives,  
  
and part of it must have been that he would always have a say in my upbringing. My  
  
mum couldn't argue, as it was a blood contract, so she said it was my choice. I  
  
thought about it, and said I didn't want to come to Hogwarts, for obvious reasons, but  
  
that I wanted to go to school. He said that there was only a deal if I went to Hogwarts.  
  
Well, of course I refused. But my mum suddenly changed her mind. She said that I  
  
had to go. I dunno why, maybe she just suddenly realised that she had a better chance  
  
of getting him back if she listened to him. Plus, the added bonus that it's harder to  
  
refuse your child if they're in front of you. She wants me to get him to like me, but  
  
lets face it, why would I want to? It's more fun winding him up. So I had to pack my  
  
stuff and leave. Practically had to drag me out of the house. So now I'm stuck with  
  
Severus Snape, the world's biggest loser, in the midst of Death Eater haters."  
  
"Wow," offered William.  
  
Hayden looked less impressed by the tale.  
  
"Maybe its better that we're all here. Who'd suspect that we were involved with the  
  
Dark Lord?"  
  
"And He'd never suspect that you'd be so bold to come straight here if you turned  
  
from Him. He'll think that you're just undercover for Him or something," added  
  
William.  
  
"Who said that I wasn't?"  
  
Will looked at her in disbelief.  
  
"Oh don't look at me like that. I am a Death Eater, what do you expect? I'm not just  
  
going to change sides because my dad did, I'll do whatever the Hell I want."  
  
There was a lengthy silence.  
  
"I should go. My dad doesn't want me wandering around, and I'm too tired to go  
  
another round with him. Goodnight guys. Be careful, won't you? Chill, Will. I'm not  
  
going to do anything stupid. See you later, babe." She kissed Hayden, and then gave  
  
Will a brief hug.  
  
"Bye," they both said. When she'd left, Will looked at Hayden.  
  
But before he opened his mouth, Hayden said, "Don't expect me to say that you're  
  
right, because I agree with her. Goodnight, mate." Then he transformed, and ran off  
  
towards the school. William sighed, and began to wander slowly over to the school.  
  
Harry looked at the others. Fear, and understanding written across their faces. Nobody  
  
knew what side Faith was on, but she was definitely closer to Voldemort than was  
  
comfortable. 


	8. Old feuds

Old Feuds  
  
The following day, when everyone was sitting for breakfast the owl came in  
  
with the post. Amongst them was a huge, beautiful owl, and it landed in front of Faith.  
  
She took the letter and spoke gently to him. He hooted, and flew out of the room.  
  
Harry and the others watched her as she opened her letter. Faith frowned as she read it  
  
and sighed.  
  
"Bad news?" asked Malfoy. She shrugged.  
  
"Nothing I can't deal with. My mother thinks that I'm going to die out here!"  
  
Malfoy and a couple of the other boys laughed. The Slytherin girls glared at Faith in  
  
disgust. She wasn't well liked.  
  
There was a scream from the Hufflepuff table, and everyone turned to look. Half of  
  
the table was standing on there seats, while other backed away. The rest of the hall  
  
moved to get a closer look. There was a large snake on the table, moving towards one  
  
of the girls. Malfoy looked scared, and Harry was amused. He was just about to step  
  
forward when Faith swept through. She spoke to the snake in parseltongue, and told it  
  
to come to her, and it slithered to her and entwined its large body around her arm and  
  
neck. She spoke softly and soothingly, with a smile on her face.  
  
"Relax," she said to the large crowd," he's mine. His name is Serpent. Cool isn't he?"  
  
"I can think of many things it is and cool doesn't come into it," muttered Hermione.  
  
Harry shrugged, he wasn't too bothered, but everyone else was looking at Faith with  
  
horrified expressions on their faces. Harry knew that it wasn't necessarily bad, but he  
  
couldn't help but think that this made her even more dangerous.  
  
"See? Nothing to worry about. Its just a dumb snake," said Malfoy, hiding his fright  
  
with a laugh. But he was too close to the snake, and it went to bite him. He moved just  
  
in time, and the snake's jaws snapped together with a loud clash. Malfoy looked so  
  
stunned that Harry and several others started to laugh. Faith looked highly amused  
  
too.  
  
"You should be more careful who you call, Draco," she said with a smirk that  
  
reminded Harry too much of Snape.  
  
The bell rang and everyone rushed for their bags, before dashing off to  
  
their lessons. The Griffindors and the Slytherins had DADA again, to Harry's delight.  
  
When they arrived at the classroom, Snape and Sirius Black were standing locked in  
  
an argument, while Lupin looked on, anxiously.  
  
"You'd better not be playing us," hissed Sirius, "because I'll not let you get away  
  
with it."  
  
Snape glared at him, "Breaking into school grounds, and threatening staff, Black?  
  
Sounds like something for the Ministry to me. Whether Dumbledore likes you or not."  
  
Sirius gave him an ugly look, as the students looked on in interest.  
  
Sirius opened his mouth, but Lupin had noticed the gathering outside and interrupted  
  
them.  
  
"Maybe we should leave this for another time?"  
  
Sirius and Snape glanced at the students, then back to each other. Snape swept out of  
  
the room first, and Sirius muttered something to Lupin, who nodded. As Sirius  
  
strolled out of the room, he smiled at Harry.  
  
Faith was watching the scene in front of her with interest. Was this really the  
  
infamous Sirius Black? He had had her father in a right twist! She smiled to herself,  
  
curiosity forming inside of her. There was definitely something going on between him  
  
and her father. He was much more attractive in real life than he was in the pictures.  
  
She knocked into him intentionally, and gave him one of her cool, sinister glares.  
  
Sirius looked at her, curiously, as he left the room. Faith smiled as she entered the  
  
room. Maybe this year wasn't going to be so bad after all.  
  
As Sirius walked down the corridor, he frowned in concentration, trying to  
  
think if he had met the attractive girl before. She looked slightly familiar, and yet,  
  
surely he would remember such an amazing girl. He shook his head, and tried to push  
  
her out of his mind. He had more important things to deal with, namely Severus  
  
Snape.  
  
Snape was organising his room for his next lesson with the first years. As he  
  
was collecting some potions from the storage cupboard, his door flew open and he  
  
spun around, dropping the potions and whipping out his wand. Sirius Black was  
  
standing in front of him, with his wand pointing directly at Snape. The two of them  
  
glared at each other.  
  
"What do you want now?" asked Snape, through gritted teeth.  
  
"I want to know that you are keeping up with your part of the deal, Snivillus. I don't  
  
trust you. You had better be making the potion for Lupin perfectly."  
  
"Or what, Black?" Snape looked amused," what are you going to do? Any wrong  
  
move and you'll be back in Azkaban!"  
  
Sirius sneered at him, "For you I would even risk that. If I find that you've been  
  
hurting any of my friends, in any way.lets just say that you won't be able to regret  
  
it. After all, you do have a tendency to turn on your masters."  
  
Snape whispered a curse at Sirius, and immediately the two of them became locked in  
  
a raging duel. Snape drew Sirius' wand out of his hand, and hit him with a painfully  
  
strong force. Potions and jars were smashing around the two of them. Sirius saw, in  
  
that moment, just how powerful Severus Snape had truly become. Snape's eyes were  
  
wild with fury, and Sirius was minus his wand- he was at Snape's mercy, and Snape  
  
knew it. As Snape advanced on Sirius, his cruel eyes lit up in way that would have  
  
alarmed even the greatest of wizards. Sirius could now no longer see Snape, but the  
  
Death Eater he had once been, and Sirius knew that he had to do something and fast.  
  
Snape smiled at Sirius, and Sirius knew that he had been right all along- this was not a  
  
man to be trusted, but an evil servant of the Darkness, who was to be feared. Snape  
  
raised his wand, and Sirius rolled, allowing the curse to miss him by inches. He darted  
  
behind one of the desks, snatching his wand, as he went. Sirius pointed his wand at  
  
Snape and hit him with a curse powerful enough to knock them both of their feet.  
  
As they both scrambled to their feet, bruised, bleeding and in immense pain, they  
  
simultaneously raised their wands at each other. Both stood, panting, and glaring at  
  
each other, waiting for the other to make the first move.  
  
The door flew open, and Faith waltzed in. Behind her were a group of First years,  
  
Harry, Ron, Draco, and Crabbe. Her eyes took in the scene, and her wand was in her  
  
hand and pointed at Sirius before anyone could register what was going on. Neither of  
  
the two men seemed to notice their audience, as Sirius' glare pierced through Snape,  
  
and Snape's sinister gaze appeared to burn straight into Sirius. To the students in the  
  
corridor, the scene looked terrifying, and the look on Snape's face induced more  
  
terror in them than most had ever known. The only one that looked calm, and relaxed  
  
was Faith, it was as though she had been previously prepared for a fight.  
  
"What's going on, Dad?" asked Faith, uncertainty lacing her normally cool tones.  
  
Her voice seemed to shake Snape form his daze, and he turned to her, his wand  
  
still pointed at Sirius.  
  
"Its nothing," he told her, knowing that she was probably thinking that the Dark Lord  
  
had something to do with the fight, "just an old feud."  
  
She nodded, and began to lower her wand. As she did so, Professor Dumbledore,  
  
McGonagall and Lupin entered the room. Dumbledore looked tired, and McGonagall  
  
looked positively furious. Lupin looked ill, his fear for his friend was obviously great.  
  
"I suggest that you take the First Years, Professor Sprout," said Dumbledore, as the  
  
other teacher entered the room," the rest of the students shall return to their lessons.  
  
Yes, you too Harry, Faith. You can talk about this later," he added as Harry started to  
  
protest. Harry stepped back, but Faith didn't move, her wand was still clutched in her  
  
hand. Dumbledore looked at her, and she raised her chin defiantly. Her eyes darted  
  
over to Snape, and he nodded slightly. She lowered her wand, and backed out of the  
  
room. She didn't seem to want to turn her back on the scene. She stepped out of the  
  
room, and headed towards her next lesson.  
  
Dumbledore looked around the room, and shook his head, as he closed the door on the  
  
bustling corridor. 


End file.
